Asia

Across more than a dozen countries, from the islands of Indonesia to the forests of Russia, WCS works to protect Asia’s incredible diversity of wildlife and wild places. WCS partners with national and regional governments, local communities, and other scientific organizations throughout the world’s biggest continent, to bolster environmental policy, train new generations of environmental stewards, support sustainable livelihoods, and connect protected areas. Each country we work in offers a unique blend of conservation opportunities and challenges, and it is our goal to meet them with innovative strategies that satisfy the needs of both people and wildlife.

The recent discovery of nearly 6,000 rare Irrawaddy dolphins in the mangroves of Bangladesh, on the edge of the Indian Ocean, highlights the importance of the country’s marine environment and the need for more research into the status of its threatened species.

Cambodia’s wild lands are home to rare mammal and bird species such as tigers, Asian elephants, vultures, and ibises. The country’s infrastructure suffered extensively during the years of conflict, however, and illegal hunting, logging, and expanding mining and oil industries are continual threats.

China’s vast landscape encompasses tropical and alpine forests, grasslands, meadows, deserts, high-altitude lakes, and coastal marshes. Today the country is experiencing unprecedented species loss as a result of over-exploitation and economic development projects.

Fiji’s coral reefs are renowned worldwide and are among the
more diverse and intact in the Pacific Ocean. Strong
cultural traditions and a national commitment to
increasing the country’s marine protected areas offer outstanding
opportunities for conservation in the face of persistent challenges
besetting marine communities everywhere.

India’s landscapes range from tropical jungles to snowy mountains, and provide habitat for tigers, elephants, and rhinos, among other spectacular species that are endangered in spite of the country’s long conservation history.

From the jungles of Sumatra to the snow-capped peaks of Papua, the islands of Indonesia encompass some of the most diverse, productive habitats in the world. The country is home to an astounding 250,000 species of insects alone.

The largest blocks of significant forests in Southeast Asia are in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, but they are dwindling as development encroaches. This poses a threat to tigers, gibbons, Asian elephants, crocodiles, and other species.

Malaysia is a wet, tropical country that is home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests and a remarkable array of wildlife species, including endangered elephants, rhinos, orangutans, monkeys, and tigers.

Mongolia is a country of majestic, yet harsh landscapes—windswept, high, and bone-chillingly cold in winter—that include what is believed to be the largest unbroken grassland in the world. It is also the least densely populated country in the world.

Snow leopards, wolves, and brown bears prowl the three great mountain ranges of Northern Pakistan: the Himalayas, Karakorams, and Hindu Kush. But extensive logging threatens the forests at the foot of these peaks and affects every rung of the food chain.

Papua New Guinea lies within the “Coral Triangle,” an international conservation priority area known for its stunning coral reefs. Its tropical forests and marine ecosystems make PNG one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots.

The landscape of Russia, the world’s largest country, extends from Europe to the Himalayas to Alaska, and includes every kind of habitat found in the northern latitudes: Arctic tundra; great, meandering rivers; vast, windswept plains; mountain ranges; cold, dark seas; forests of evergreens and birches.

Thailand’s tropical landscape includes some of the most prolific, lush and diverse habitats in the world, from a mix of moist, dry, and monsoon evergreen forests to deciduous-pine forests and mangroves.